Lucky Wish
by No1fan15
Summary: Yamcha wishes for a family and Shenron gives him a son. Simple, right? If you think that then you're obviously new to Dragon Ball.
1. Chapter 1

"Bulma I screwed up big time."

"Yamcha, given your everyday life, you're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

Bulma glared at Yamcha with tired eyes. What in Kami's name was he doing outside her door at five in the morning? And why was he holding what looked like a lump of blankets? Puar was floating behind him with their familiar worried expression. The concerning thing was that Yamcha looked the same.

"Bulma, I'll explain everything later I swear, I need your help. You're the only person I know who owns anything to do with babies right now." Yamcha rambled, shifting his weight anxiously.

"Babies? What?" Bulma said, very confused. A few seconds later her brain finally registered that the lump of blankets Yamcha was holding was, in fact, an infant. "Holy shit. You have a baby. Whose it it? Why do you have it?"

"He's mine and I made a wish with the Dragon Balls that didn't go the way I expected." Yamcha said. Bulma's eyebrows shot up.

"You did what?! Wait - don't answer that. Baby care comes first." she proclaimed. She let Yamcha inside and shut the door behind him.

She quickly ducked into Bulla's room down the hall to grab various supplies and headed back to the kitchen were she had left Yamcha and Puar. Her mind was racing the whole time. Yamcha wished for a kid. He had a kid. Yamcha had a baby. He was a dad. Why did he make the wish at five in the morning? Bulma did her best to focus on the task at hand and readied a bottle.

"Alright, I've got some baby formula. Bulla doesn't like it so there's a lot left if you need it." she said as she brought it over to the table. Yamcha sat down across from her and nervously took the bottle. He carefully moved some of the blankets away from the babies face and held the bottle up to it. The child happily started drinking. Yamcha sighed with relief.

"I wasn't sure if he'd need special food or something like that. I mean, he was made by Shenron. I'm not entirely confident in that dragons knowledge on how humans work." he admitted. A small hand reached up from the blankets and grabbed the bottle. Yamcha smiled so sweetly Bulma nearly forgave him for waking her up so early.

"Speaking of that, feel like sharing?" she said, arms crossed. Yamcha looked sheepish.

"I've always wanted a family. My love life wasn't going anywhere so I decided I'd try my hand at parenting. I did some research about how to care for a baby and went out to find the Dragon Balls."

"How did you find them?"

"One of your old dragon radars. Anyways, once I had them I decided it would be best to be discreet so I summoned Shenron when it was dark out. I thought I'd be able to get the hang of caring for the baby and then tell everyone afterwards. Shenron listened to my wish and granted it. But..."

"But what? Is your kid half dragon or something? With green scales and itty bitty wings?" Bulma joked. Yamcha chuckled half heartedly.

"He's definitely half something alright. Half someONE WE KNOW." Puar squeaked, looking agitated.

"I'm getting to that Puar." Yamcha assured his friend. He adjusted his hold on the baby and continued. "Shenron told me he couldn't just make the baby using only my DNA. It would end up like a clone. So he said he'd use the DNA of the most compatible person he could find. As soon as I was holding the kid... my kid... it felt so right. I was so damn emotional that Shenron left by the time I had the chance to look at the baby properly "

"Show her! Show her!" Puar chanted.

"Show me what?" Bulma asked, a little uneasy. Someone they knew? Compatible DNA? Things were shaping up to be weird but, then again, most of her life was weird. Yamcha placed the now half empty bottle on the table and pushed the blankets a bit further away from the babies face.

Pale skin nearly glowed and feathery black hair dusted the top of the infant's head. He had a tiny button nose and tiny lips pulled into the smallest of smiles. His eyes were open and were a beautiful shade of dark brown. The one thing Bulma noticed first, however, was not any of those.

It was the third eye staring at her from the child's forehead.


	2. Chapter 2

"So... you think Shenron used Tien's DNA?"

"Yamcha he literally has three eyes. There is no one else it could be."

"We don't know that for sure. There could be other three eyed people in the world." Yamcha pointed out. He was feeding the baby again and refused to look at anyone else.

"Yamcha, listen to me." Bulma said. "You had a plan but it didn't work out. You need to talk to Tien about this. If nothing else he can give you advice on how to raise a kid with three eyes. Who else can tell you that kind of info?"

"She's right, Yamcha. You need to go see him." Puar added. Yamcha kept his gaze on the baby and remained quiet. Bulma sighed.

"Why don't you want to talk to Tien? There has to be a reason." she insisted. "You two are really close. It shouldn't be a problem."

"... maybe that is the problem." Yamcha mumbled. He finally looked up. "If this kid does have his DNA then that means we're both technically the father. I've been friends with Tien for nearly twenty years, Bulma, I can't just put all of this on him out of nowhere."

"You didn't seem to have any problems putting it on me out of nowhere and I've known you longer than him." Bulma said with a slight scowl.

"That's different. I needed your help and I knew you would help me. Plus, you're not the one who might suddenly be a parent." Yamcha said. Bulma's expression softened. They were silent for a while before Bulma spoke up.

"I'm glad you trusted me with this." she said quietly. "In the past I worried that if you ever had a kid you'd keep them away from me."

"Why would I do that?" Yamcha said, throughly confused.

"I'm not sure." Bulma said with a shrug. "Maybe it was because we weren't as close as we used to be. I knew you were still my friend but I wasn't sure if things would stay that way."

"You're always going to be my friend, Bulms." Yamcha assured her. Bulma smiled at the old nickname and took a moment to look at the baby again. He had just about finished his bottle and seemed sleepy.

"Tell you what." Bulma said after a few minutes. "If you tell Tien about the baby then I might be able to talk him into getting a DNA test done. Then you'd know for sure."

"Really?" Yamcha said, a smile growing on his face. Bulma smiled back.

"It'd be no problem. Maybe a week or so of waiting and you'll know for sure who Shenron chose." she said. Yamcha started to thank her but Bulma cut him off. "You still need to talk to Tien. I need a DNA sample from him so I can run the test. Go for that if nothing else."

"... Alright. I'll do it." Yamcha said.

The conversation was paused for the next hour or so as Bulma taught Yamcha some much needed parenting basics. They discovered that while he had trouble burping the baby he had no problems getting him to sleep. Bulma had to admit it felt a little odd watching her old ex caring for a child. Deep down she felt like she had always known that Yamcha would be a good dad. That didn't mean she felt comfortable with the whole situation, not completely, as every time she saw the infant's third eye she felt a pang of worry. If they got the DNA test done and the kid was Tien's, then what? It was out of her control. For now all she could do was help her friend deal with his new family member.

"He's a quiet little thing, isn't he? I don't think I've heard him cry once." Bulma remarked as she got them all some breakfast.

"I noticed that too." Yamcha said.

"He must get it from Tien." Puar said. Yamcha laughed quietly.

"You seem pretty set on Tien being the one." Yamcha said. Puar settled into a nearby chair and curled up.

"I trust Tien. If it's not him then it's some three eyed stranger." they explained. "And what stranger wants to be surprised with a kid?"

"You make a good point." Bulma said. She walked over to the table with some plates. "I agree with Puar on this one. It'll be hard to deal with anyways so might as well hope it's someone you know."

"What's going on in here?"

Bulma looked over to the hall door to see her husband standing with his arms crossed. She sighed and turned to face him.

"It's a long story. Let's just say Yamcha used the Dragon Balls to wish for a baby and he got one." she said. Vegeta walked over to the table and peered at the child.

"What's wrong with it? It has three eyes." he said. Bulma smacked his shoulder and glared.

"Don't be rude. Nothing's wrong with him. He was made like that." Bulma scolded him. Vegeta rolled his eyes. Then he paused for a moment.

"You have a friend with three eyes." he observed. "Is he involved?"

"We don't know yet. We'll find out soon though. I just need to go talk to him." Yamcha said.

"Why haven't you done that already?" Vegeta asked.

"It's... complicated." Yamcha said.

"Shouldn't be." Vegeta grunted. "Ethier he's a part of that... thing or he's not."

"Stop calling the baby a thing!" Bulma exclaimed. Vegeta scoffed.

"Does it have a name?" he said. Bulma was about to retort but then realized she hadn't heard Yamcha call his son anything other than "the baby" since he had arrived.

"Does he?" she asked Yamcha.

"Not yet." Yamcha said. "When I found out about the whole "most compatible person's DNA" thing I decided that when I found whoever it was I'd ask them. Plus I don't want to just name him at random. I want the name to have a good meaning behind it."

"Of course you do. Naming a child is a very important task." Vegeta pointed out. Everyone in the room looked at him, surprised. He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think I spent so much time thinking of a name for my child? Of course Bulma chose "Bulla" but that name also has some meaning to it. Naming your son isn't something you should rush."

"Wow, um, thanks, Vegeta." said Yamcha slowly. Vegeta grunted again and grabbed a plate as he headed towards the kitchen. There were a few moments of silence following his exit.

"I never thought I'd be taking advice from Vegeta." Yamcha said after a while.

"You and me both." Bulma said. "He's full of surprises if you wait long enough."

"I don't doubt it." Yamcha said.

"As much as I love listening to you two chat it's been hours and I feel like we should go." Puar inturrupted.

"Puar is right. Thank you for everything." Yamcha said. He stood up and grabbed as many of the bags Bulma gave him as he could without dropping the baby. Puar carried the rest and within a few minutes they were ready to leave.

"Remember. You tell Tien about this and then we'll find out your kids lineage." Bulma said. She gave Yamcha a supportive pat on the shoulder and a tired smile. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks again. Everything you did... it means a lot." Yamcha said with a small smile of his own. Bulma watched him and Puar fly off until they were specks on the horizon. She headed back inside to see Vegeta seated at the table with a pile of food. That was normal. He also had Bulla in one arm. That wasn't normal.

"Did seeing Yamcha's kid make you feel parental for once?" Bulma teased him as she walked over to join him at the table. Vegeta grunted and shoved some bacon into his mouth. Bulma grinned as she watched her husband eat. It was moments like this that reminded her why she was so happy with her family. She hoped Yamcha would find moments of his own to think the same.


	3. Chapter 3

Tien's day had been normal. The morning classes came and went without a hitch and his afternoon tea break was a welcome quiet from all the sparring. He enjoyed the calmer moments like this. Then Chiaotzu told him that Yamcha was visiting that day. Once again, nothing strange there. Sure, Yamcha usually called first but he was a familiar face around the dojo by now. Most of Tien's students knew who Yamcha was and were friendly with him. A visit was a welcome occurrence.

Then Yamcha showed up holding an infant.

"You have a baby." Tien stated. He honestly wasn't sure how else to respond. Yamcha laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I made a wish... and I need to talk to you." he said. Puar floated above both of them.

"We think Shenron made you the other parent." they said. Before anyone could respond the baby started to squirm around a bit. His face turned to look up at the world around him. Tien felt his heart pick up speed as he saw the child's third eye.

"It's a long story. Can we come in?" Yamcha asked with a sigh. Tien nodded and moved out of their way.

He busied himself with making another pot of tea as Chiaotzu and Puar took on babysitting duty. They gave him and Yamcha some privacy as they played with the baby a few rooms down. Thankfully it didn't take long for Yamcha to tell his story.

"So. You think I'm the other parent." Tien said after a few minutes of processing.

"It has to be someone with three eyes. You're the only person I know like that." Yamcha said. He stared down into his teacup. "The DNA test will confirm if it is or not. All you'd have to do it wait a week or so for the results." He continued to focus on his drink as his head drooped lower. "I'm sorry for springing all this on you out of nowhere... I should have said something right away but I was... preoccupied."

"No need to apologize. I can imagine things were stressful for you." Tien said. Yamcha looked up and gave a tired smirk.

"Still are. Honestly, sometimes I'd rather fight Cell again." Yamcha said with a small laugh. He smiled wistfully. "Then I look at the kid, MY kid, and it's all worth it."

Tien smiled back. After so many years it was nice to see Yamcha finally have the family he wanted. He firmly ignored the chance that he could be part of that family. Nothing was confirmed yet and he'd deal with those feelings only if he had to.

"I'll send Bulma the DNA test stuff as soon as I can." Tien said. He stood up and moved the empty teapot off the table. "When you get the results let me know."

"I'll call you as soon as I hear them." Yamcha said. He stood and stretched. "I should probably be going now. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"You're always welcome here." Tien assured him. "You and your family."

Yamcha smiled warmly and Tien felt his cheeks turn pink. Oh no. That wasn't usual. He shook it off as care for his longtime friend and finished putting away the tea. He didn't get the chance to dwell on it any longer as Chiaotzu and Puar entered the room. They handed the baby over to Yamcha and it giggled happily. Chiaotzu floated over to Tien.

"You should hold the baby." he suggested. Tien barely had time to fluster his way through an excuse before Yamcha was transferring the baby from his arms to Tiens. The infant blinked up at him cheerfully.

"Am I doing this right?" Tien asked nervously.

"You're doing fine. I think he likes you." Yamcha said with another smile. Tien looked over at him with a shaky grin.

"You think?" he said. The baby held up one of his tiny hands, reaching towards Tien's face. Tien felt a little panicked. Yamcha laughed and showed him how to hold the baby in one arm. With one hand now free his fingers were quickly grabbed by the baby. He let out a small laugh despite himself. "You have a very cute kid."

"He takes after his dad." Yamcha said proudly. Tien laughed again. After a few more minutes he gave the baby back to Yamcha.

"Thanks for telling me everything. I hope you get the test results soon." he said.

"Thank you for the tea and the support. Who knows. Maybe someday you'll be sparring with this lil guy." Yamcha said. He and Puar gathered their things and left soon after.

"I wonder what the test will say." Chiaotzu mused. "Do you think the dragon picked you?"

"We'll just have to wait and see." Tien said curtly. Chiaotzu gave him an concerned look.

"If it is you... you're not going to abandon Yamcha and the kid, right?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Tien exclaimed. "Why would you think that?"

"You seemed scared." Chiaotzu said with a shrug. Then he smiled. "Don't be. You'd be a great dad and I know you wouldn't abandon anyone. I've known you too long to think otherwise."

"Then why did you say it?"

"I wanted your attention." Chiaotzu said. His smile turned into a smirk. "What was with that sudden surge in emotion earlier?"

"What do you mean?" Tien said.

"It almost felt like romance for a moment there. I won't push you for details. Just think about it." Chiaotzu said. He flew off down the dojo hallway leaving Tien standing in the doorway with a blush slowly creeping across his face.


	4. Chapter 4

Tien didn't visit the city often. Then again, it wasn't often one of his best friends called him over in a panic at four in the afternoon. He landed on the balcony of what he prayed was the correct apartment building and knocked on the door. It slid aside to reveal a rather bedraggled looking Yamcha.

"Hey, glad you could make it, thank you so much." he said. He let Tien into the apartment and shut the balcony door behind him. Tien scanned the room and besides the massive mess it wasn't too remarkable. There was a counter nearby that seemed to be part of a kitchen area and a couple of chairs surrounded a coffee table in the middle of the floor. Clothes had been scattered across nearly every surface except the stove and various baby related items could be found everywhere. Yamcha continued talking as he shoved some of the clothes to the side. "I know it's on really short notice but you're the first one I thought to ask."

"It's alright. Chiaotzu can handle the evening classes by himself. Although I don't know why you'd ask me to babysit. I've never looked after a child before." Tien said as he followed behind Yamcha.

"I know, not my best idea, but I'm in a rush and I trust you." Yamcha said as he went into another room. Tien waited next to the table for him. He didn't want to wander around Yamcha's apartment by himself. It would be rude. After a few seconds he noticed Puar floating up to him.

"Did he even tell you why he needs a babysitter?" they asked. Tien shook his head. Puar sighed. "Of course. Long story short, we got a last minute client for our private eye business. One with good money. Problem is they need us to start right away and the case is time sensitive. We need this job but Yamcha can't leave the baby alone. That's why he called you."

"That makes sense. I'm still not sure I'm the best choice..." Tien said.

"Well, like Yamcha said. He trusts you." Puar said with a smile. "Plus, last time you were with the baby he seemed to like you. That's gotta count for something."

"Thanks Puar. I suppose you have a point." Tien said. Puar floated in a bit closer.

"On a more serious note... we are getting the DNA test results in a few days." they said in a quiet voice. Tien suppressed any anxiety this fact brought up. When he stayed quiet Puar took it as a sign to continue. "Maybe this is Yamcha's way of letting you spend some time with the kid in case you're not the other parent."

"Maybe..." Tien mumbled. He knew the probability of him being the parent was low at best. He shouldn't be concerned about it. Yet he couldn't silence the part of his mind that was saying "What if?"

What if it was him? Then what would happen? There were so many questions that might never have to be asked and yet they were there none the less. Then again, how would he feel if the kid wasn't his? That would solve everything, wouldn't it? Somewhere in him there was a feeling that recoiled at the thought. A feeling that said it had to be him and would be upset otherwise. Why was that? Did he want to be a dad? Tien shook his head as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

"You okay?" Puar asked, noticing his discomfort.

"... what if I am the one? Then what do I do?" he said quietly. Puar patted his shoulder lightly and smiled.

"That's up to you to decide. If it is you then I hope you decide to help." they said. "You would make a good dad."

"You think?" Tien said. He allowed himself a small grin. He had never considered himself a good fit for parenting yet one of his friends thought he was? Perhaps that meant something beyond kind words. Puar smiled wider.

"Of course I do. I'm surprised you don't have a family of your own by now. You've always been a great teacher and children are the most important students you could ever have. You're strong enough to protect them and wise enough to know when they need to stand up for themselves." they explained. Then they shrugged. "Who can say for sure though. Sometimes people change when they have kids. For better or for worse."

"Uh... thanks." Tien said. Before their conversation could continue Yamcha walked back into the room with the baby in his arms.

"Okay, I made a list of things that might come up and put it on the fridge. He needs to be fed at five and goes to bed at seven. There's emergency contacts on there as well. I suggest calling Bulma if you have any questions, she's a lot more reliable than the Internet." he rambled. He handed the baby to Tien carefully and speed walked towards the door. He continued as he put his shoes on. "If there's an emergency make sure to call me as soon as you can. If he won't sleep then try singing to him, it helps. We should be back around nine but things could go later. Again, sorry for being so last minute about this."

"It's no trouble. Puar explained everything." Tien said. Yamcha stood up and gave him a grateful smile. Tien could feel his cheeks starting to heat up again. Dammit, what was with him lately? After a few more tips Yamcha finally left with Puar in tow. Tien looked down at the bright eyed infant in his arms.

"Looks like it's just us for tonight." he said, feeling more than a little awkward. Within seconds the baby had started crying. This was going to be a long night.

4 hours later...

Tien silently thanked every god that he knew of as it seemed the baby was finally content. He had stopped crying and was now happily gurgling as he grabbed onto Tien's fingers.

"At least one of us is having fun." Tien mumbled. The baby giggled and tightened his grip. Tien could feel himself starting to smile despite everything he had just gone through.

"Well if you insist on being friends then I can't just keep calling you "the baby." I know Yamcha said he wasn't going to name you yet, but..." Tien mused. His brain was telling him this was a bad idea. Give the kid a name and he'd get way to attached to him. He wasn't even the dad. It wasn't his choice. The baby giggled again and Tien's smile grew wider.

"How about, just between us, I call you... Kichiro?" he suggested. The baby squealed happily and finally released his fingers. The way the infant's arms moved almost made it look like he was clapping. Tien adjusted his grip on the baby and continued grinning.

"You like that name?" he said with a small laugh. The baby laughed back at him.

"I thought so. It means "Lucky Son." And you are one lucky son indeed, aren't you?" Tien continued. "You've got a great dad. He's strong so he can protect you. He's funny so he can make you laugh. He's a great guy."

The baby made what sounded like a positive noise and reached for Tien's hand again. Tien let him grab it and laughed.

"Look at me, talking to a baby. I barely talk to people. You don't mind, do you?" he said. The baby tried to put Tien's fingers in his mouth. Tien hastily took his hand back. He started to walk towards the bedroom. It was at least an hour past bedtime for Kichiro. It didn't take long to get him into his crib but he didn't seem like he wanted to go to sleep.

"I know, I know, I'm a riot. It's still your bedtime." Tien told him after he giggled again. Tien sighed and lightly brushed Kichiro's hair out of his third eye. "You don't want your dad to be mad at me, do you?"

Another laugh. This wasn't getting him anywhere. Neither did anything else he tried in the next hour. At this point he felt more tired than the baby.

"Your dad's gonna be home soon Kichiro. He's not gonna be happy if you're still awake." Tien pointed out. His logic was lost on Kichiro as the infant kept on babbling without a care. Tien's shoulders slumped a little. Taking care of a baby was much harder than he thought it would be. He had known it wouldn't be easy but it was nine for Kami's sake. Even he would go to bed at nine sometimes.

"Yamcha said I should sing to you, right?" Tien asked. "Do you really wanna hear that?"

Kichiro was silent but looked up at Tien with wide eyes and a smile. It was a start. Tien took a deep breath and tried to come up with a lullaby of some kind.

He was decidedly not the best singer and certainly not with songs for babies. He had used all his energy caring for the kid and didn't have much left to spare on music. Tune. He needed a tune. He vaguely recalled hearing a song on the radio recently that seemed like it'd work as a lullaby. It wasn't like he had a whole lot of options. After a few seconds of trying to come up with words he decided to just make things up as he went. It wouldn't matter that much anyways. Kichiro couldn't understand words yet. Even with this knowledge in mind Tien did his best to improvise something... nice.

"Stars are shining bright up in the sky, birds are leaving songs as they fly on by, winds whisper their secrets, and if you hear them, hold them close to your heart." he started shakily. Internally he winced. It looked like this song was going to be rather cheesy. Not his style. However it seemed to be working as Kichiro was calming down. Tien took a moment to think of more words before continuing.

"Rain dances on its way to touch your skin, everyone who meets you laughs and grins, memories and moments paint a picture of your smile." He could feel a small smile forming on his face. The song was doing its job. Kichiro's eyelids drooped and he yawned. If Tien remembered correctly the song changed its tune slightly about now. He closed his eyes and sang the first things that came to mind.

"Because you're a gift to everyone you know, and you'll be loved no matter where you go, though you may change and you may grow, you'll never slow.

There's so much in the world for you to find, so many ideas only in your mind, and it's you that we stand behind, til the end of time."

When Tien opened his eyes he could see that Kichiro was nearly asleep. The infant's main eyes were closed while his third lagged behind. Tien reached into the crib and stroked Kichiro's hair gently.

"Because no star could ever beat your glow. A shining trail marks wherever you go. When you need us we'll be waiting back home, for we love you so."

Finally. Kichiro closed all of his eyes and drifted off at last. Tien carefully tiptoed his way to the door. After all that effort he really didn't want to wake Kichiro up again. He shut the door slowly and sighed when it clicked shut. He did it.

He then proceeded to jump nearly a foot when he heard a cough from right beside him. He turned to the source of the noise to see... Yamcha. Of course. He said he'd be home at nine.

"Hey." Yamcha said quietly. Tien quickly regained his composure and nodded.

"Uh..Hey." he whispered back. Eloquent.

"I... liked your song." Yamcha said. Oh. He had heard that. Tien tried and failed to fight his blush.

"You did?" he asked, firmly ignoring the fact that his entire face was tinged pink. Yamcha nodded.

"How about we move to the table to talk more? I'll make some tea." he suggested. Tien followed him into the main room and sat down while Yamcha started the kettle.

"Uh... how much... how much did you hear?" he asked. He resisted the urge to run out the door and fly off into the night. This was easily the most embarrassing thing he had ever been through, including that one time Goku pantsed him at the Budokai.

"Um... all of it, I think." Yamcha replied from the kitchen area. "Familiar tune. Did you create it?"

"No, it was from a song I heard on the radio. It felt like a lullaby so I used it." Tien said.

"I knew I heard it before. You made up the words on the spot?" Yamcha said.

"I know. They weren't very good." Tien grumbled.

"Are you kidding? That's amazing Tien! I could never do anything like that." Yamcha said. He walked over and placed two cups of tea on the table. "Why didn't you ever get into song writing? You've got the talent for it."

"I never had the choice. I was raised to fight. Martial arts were really all I ever learned." Tien explained, blowing on his tea. "When I got older I never thought much about other things. Life happened so quickly I didn't get the chance to even consider it."

"Wow... I hadn't thought about that..." Yamcha said. He looked down into his tea. "I never thought that you had anything else you wanted to try."

"I hadn't ethier. Maybe someday I'll look into it." Tien said. He desperately wanted to change the topic. He raised his teacup to his lips. "At least the song worked. Sorry it took so long to get Kichiro to sleep. He's very energetic."

"... Kichiro?"

Tien nearly choked on his tea. Shit. He shouldn't have said that. He coughed a few times and looked everywhere but at Yamcha.

"Uh... well... you see... I felt kinda... bad, just calling him "the baby" all the time, so... I came up with a name for him." He stammered. He placed his tea down and took a deep breath. "I know I shouldn't have done it, he's your kid, and I know you're waiting to name him. It was stupid of me. I'm very sorry."

The silence in the room at that moment hurt more than anything else Tien could think of. He had messed up real bad. He was only supposed to babysit and he went and named a child that wasn't his. He kept his gaze cast downwards as he waited for a response. He'd take anything at this point.

"...what does it mean?"

Tien's head snapped up as he stared at Yamcha. He wasn't going to yell at him?

"It, uh, means "Lucky Son." Tien said. To his surprise Yamcha smiled.

"I'm not exactly happy you named my kid for me. If I wanted that I would have asked Bulma to babysit. However... I think it fits him really well." he said. Tien relaxed a little. Okay. Things weren't as bad as he thought.

"I'm glad you think so." he said. The room was quiet again as they finished their drinks. It was a more comfortable silence this time. When his cup was empty Tien stood up.

"I've got to get going. Early morning classes tomorrow." he said. Yamcha nodded and went to open the door for him.

"Of course. Can I pay you for this later? The job Puar and I were working on got an extension so we won't be paid in full for a while." he said. Tien shook his head.

"You don't need to pay me. Consider it a favor. And, uh... an apology for the whole naming thing." he said. Yamcha grinned.

"Sounds good to me. I guess I'll see you soon?" he said. Tien smiled back.

"Yeah. You're getting the test results in a few days, right? Make sure to let me know how that goes." he said.

"Of course I will." Yamcha assured him. His smile shifted into his usual smirk. "If you hear me call the kid Kichiro then it's you, got it?"

"Got it." Tien said with a small laugh.

His flight home was filled with thoughts surrounding what had just happened. Things were definitely a lot more complicated for him now then they were before. His feelings towards the kid had changed for sure. As for his feelings towards Yamcha... he pushed those to the back of his mind again. He would deal with those some other time. All he had to do for the time being was go about life as usual while he waited for the DNA test results. He'd start worrying about things after that, if he needed to. For the moment he kept on flying through the night sky.


	5. Chapter 5

Today was the day.

The DNA test results would be revealed and everything would work itself out from there. Yamcha knew that things would be much more complicated than that, of course, but he liked to stay as optimistic as possible when he felt like panicking.

"Everything's gonna be fine, right? It has to be. There's no way this is gonna end badly. Unhappily maybe but not bad, right? It's gonna be okay." he rambled, half to himself, as he paced across the apartment floor. Puar floated axiously behind him while squeaking out the occasional reassurance. A sharp cry broke Yamcha out of his worried trance. He carefully stepped over piles of various things as he moved as fast as possible to the baby's crib. He lifted his son into his arms and gently rocked him from side to side.

"It's okay little guy." he said. "Daddy's here." The baby slowly stopped crying and quieted down to a few whimpers. Yamcha smiled at him. "See? Everything's fine."

"Want me to watch him for you while you visit Bulma?" Puar offered.

"That would be great, thanks." Yamcha said with a sigh. He was having enough trouble handling his own emotions at the moment, much less those of an infant. He nearly jumped as he heard his phone buzz. He shifted the baby to one arm and answered. "Hello?"

"It's me. I've got the test results ready for you." Bulma said. Yamcha took a deep breath.

"And?"

"And I haven't looked at them yet. You should be the first to know. Come over to Capsule Corp and I'll make a pot of tea or something. It'll help your nerves." Bulma said.

"Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can." Yamcha replied. He hung up the call and looked over at Puar. They gave him an encouraging smile. He did his best to smile back. "Well, I'm off."

"Come back soon." Puar said. They gently took the baby from Yamcha's arms and floated him back to his crib. Yamcha walked out onto the balcony and took off. The sooner he got there the sooner things would be sorted out.

He arrived much faster than he expected. He had hoped to use the flight over to sort out his feelings but it seemed he would have no such luck. It didn't take much longer to make his way from the main building to the one where Bulma lived. He knocked on the door and waited anxiously. Bulma greeted him with a friendly grin and a cup of tea. They sat in her kitchen with an envelope sitting between them.

"More tea?" Bulma asked. Yamcha shook his head.

"No, thanks, I've barely touched this one." he said. "I guess it can't really do much for my nerves when I'm to jittery to drink it."

"A fair point but at least try." Bulma insisted. "It's good tea."

The room fell quiet again while the two sipped at their drinks. Yamcha had to agree, it was indeed good tea. Not too hot, great taste, and it had helped calm him down a little. After a few minutes he put his cup down and eyed the envelope.

"You ready to open it?" Bulma asked quietly. Yamcha shook his head.

"I know I need to and I know I'm going to but that doesn't mean I really want to." he admitted. "I'm really glad you ran the test and I'm sure things are going to turn out fine... I'm just worried."

"Rightfully so. It's a big thing to learn." Bulma said. "Your kid could technically be half stranger."

"Or friend." Yamcha pointed out. He paused for a moment. "Did I tell you what happened when I asked Tien to babysit?"

"You did not." Bulma observed. She raised an eyebrow. "Now you have to."

"I figured as much." Yamcha said with a small laugh. "To make a long story short it turns out he's really good at making up lullabies."

"Wait, seriously? He sang to the kid?" Bulma said, eyes wide. Yamcha nodded.

"It was really good too. If he wanted he could probably have a great career in the music industry." he added.

"Wow. Who would have guessed?" Bulma said. "What other crazy stuff did he do?"

"Well, he, uh... named the kid." Yamcha mumbled.

"He did WHAT!?" Bulma exclaimed.

"I know. I was waiting on that and I still am. He said he didn't just want to call the baby "baby" the whole time." Yamcha explained. "Trust me, I'm not exactly pleased with him about it but he apologized. Like, a lot. It's been a while since I've seen him looked so panicked."

"I was just kidding when I said crazy stuff. Well now I have to know, what did Tien name him?" Bulma said. Yamcha's smile returned as he remembered.

"Kichiro. It means "Lucky Son". he said.

"That's a good name." Bulma said. "I'd say he thinks you're gonna be a great dad with a name like that."

"I guess so..." Yamcha mused. He hadn't thought about it too much. Looking back it made sense that the reasoning would be something along those lines. "I told him that if I called and used that name it means he's the other parent."

"Well then, I suppose it's time for you to find out." Bulma said. She gave him the most supportive look she could muster and pushed the envelope towards him. Yamcha picked it up and stared at it.

"This is it." he muttered as he opened it. The paper inside was folded and Yamcha hated that his hands shook as he opened it. His eyes scanned the page slowly, taking in every word, and he tried to resist jumping ahead. He was going to read everything properly so there was no possibility for misunderstanding. Once he read it once he read it again to make sure he was seeing it correctly.

All of his emotions were fighting for dominance. He felt excited and scared simultaneously. He wanted to jump for joy and scream at the same time. His heart was beating like crazy and his throat was dry. Everything around him seemed to fade away except the ink in front of him. He took a deep, shuddering breath and stood up slowly.

"... I need to make a call." he said, his voice weak. Bulma stayed silent and nodded. Yamcha walked out onto her balcony and pulled out his phone. It took him a few tries to enter the number properly. He tapped his foot impatiently as he listened to the rings. After a few seconds he heard it pick up.

"Hello, this is the Tenshin style martial arts dojo, how may I help you?"

"Hey Chiaotzu, it's Yamcha. Can I talk to Tien?"

"Hi Yamcha! He's teaching a class right now... is this about the DNA test stuff?" Chiaotzu asked.

"Yeah, it is." Yamcha said.

"Give me a minute." Chiaotzu said. Yamcha waited. He could hear vague sounds from the other end of the line. Within thirty seconds the phone was picked up again.

"Yamcha?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Chiaotzu told me why you called." Tien said. He was silent for a few moments. Yamcha realized he was waiting for a response. He gathered every ounce of courage he had left.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over and see Kichiro?"


	6. Chapter 6

A few days ago it would have been difficult for Tien to believe that a single word could have such a powerful effect on him. Maybe a full sentence like "No dragon balls" or "Frieza's back again". Never one word. Yet there he was. Barely holding himself in the sky as he flew to Yamcha's apartment. All because of a name.

Kichiro.

A name he himself had put the meaning behind the moment he gave it to the baby. The baby he now knew for a fact was partly his. He barely noticed his hands shaking as he tried to keep his breathing level. It was like all his wildest hopes and deepest fears had come true all at once. His initial reaction to the phone call had been a calm shock. He had agreed to visit Yamcha and Kichiro. Then he put Chiaotzu in charge of the classes and left. That was when all his emotions had started fading back in. Now he was halfway through the trip and going at a much slower speed than usual. He needed time. Time to sort through all his feelings. The most prevalent emotion was fear. Fear for what this meant for the future. What did his life hold for him now? After all the time he had spent being friends with Yamcha would what they had fall apart?

Not to mention his now confirmed fatherhood. As much as the prospect terrified him it was also exciting. He hadn't known until it happened how much he wanted to be a dad. Of course it wouldn't be easy but he couldn't help but feel happy. He wouldn't have admitted it before but now he could say with confidence that he was glad a stranger hadn't been Kichiro's parent. In many ways that would have been harder to handle. Someone they didn't know, that Yamcha didn't know, suddenly becoming a part of their lives? Things were better this way. That said, the sentiment didn't help calm Tien's nerves as he flew. He was already drawing a blank on what he would say to Yamcha when he arrived. Then again he had a history of winging it and surviving alright. He'd just have to hope for the best.

With this thought in mind he finally landed outside Yamcha's apartment. He knocked on the balcony door and was greeted by Puar.

"There you are! It's good to see you." they said with a smile. "Come on in!"

"Thanks." Tien said. A quick look around revealed that the apartment hadn't changed since the last time he visited. Things were still an absolute mess.

"Oh, I can't tell you how relieved I am." Puar told him. "I knew it was you! I called it!"

"That you did." Tien said with a weak smile.

"Now they won't shut up about it." Yamcha entered with Kichiro in his arms. He had a tired look on his face and Kichiro was gurgling up at him happily. "I've never heard Puar say "I told you so" this much since I ran the Mighty Mouse into a sand dune."

"Because I did! You were way off course." Puar squeaked. They looked from Yamcha to Tien and slowly started to float out of the room. "I'll give you guys some space."

"Thanks Puar." Yamcha said. Once Puar was out of sight he walked towards Tien. "So. Here we are."

"Yeah... uh... I..." Tien stammered. As expected he couldn't come up with anything to say. Yamcha stopped about a foot away from him and held out Kichiro.

"First of all, just hold the baby you dork." he said with the ghost of a smile. Tien really couldn't do anything but do so as he gently took Kichiro from Yamcha. The baby yawned and grinned. Tien gave him a gentle smile in return. Kichiro wiggled one of his hands free of his blanket and reached towards Tien's face. He let the infant grab one of his fingers instead. This seemed to satisfy Kichiro and he settled down.

"At least we already know he likes you." Yamcha said.

"It's a start." Tien said. He continued to look down at Kichiro and sighed. "... what now?"

"I'm not sure." Yamcha admitted. "I hadn't planned much beyond telling you."

"At least we're on the same page, then." Tien said with a weak grin. Yamcha let out a single chuckle and crossed his arms.

"It's better than nothing." he said. Another few moments of silence save Kichiro's burbling.

"... are you upset? That it's me?" Tien asked eventually. He'd been thinking about the question for a while now.

"What? No." Yamcha said. "I'm glad it's you, actually. Sharing my life, and my kid, with a stranger... it scared me. Anything could have gone wrong. Now that I know it's you... I'm happy."

"That's good to hear." Tien said. He relaxed his posture slightly and smiled wider. "For what it's worth... I'm happy too. Ever since you first visited with Kichiro... I don't know, I felt a connection or something. I hadn't thought about being a parent before but now that it's happened... I'm excited."

"Hopefully you can channel that excitement into more babysitting." Yamcha said. "I haven't really had the time to balance running my business and raising a child."

"Of course I can. What kind of father wouldn't?" Tien said. Referring to himself as a dad was... odd, but he supposed he'd get used to it.

"I can name at least two in our immediate social circle who haven't." Yamcha said with a short bark of a laugh.

"True. Our friends may not be the best examples of parenting." Tien agreed. "Krillin and Gohan seem to have it down fine."

"And they're the exceptions." Yamcha said.

"Goku's getting better at it." Tien pointed out.

"Maybe so but I still think we can do better." Yamcha said.

"Of course we can." Tien said. "We've been through more than most people and came out fine. We can handle fatherhood."

"Damn right, we can." Yamcha said. His smile seemed to have found its strength at last. He stepped a bit closer and lightly brushed a hand over Kichiro's hair. "Besides, we've got the best baby out of any of them."

"That we do." Tien said. He felt something in his chest warm and knew it wasn't just parental affection. There was something else. He thought back to what Chiaotzu had said the week prior. _"It almost felt like romance for a moment there."_ There was no way. He couldn't be... right? All the feelings he'd pushed to the back of his mind came rushing forwards. The flutter of his heart when he saw the soft look on Yamcha's face... the hurt when he saw Yamcha run down and tired... every moment he'd ever felt like he wanted to do more for him... oh no.

"You okay?"

Tien snapped out of his rapidly derailing train of thought and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just... it's a lot."

"I know. Overwhelming is putting it lightly." Yamcha said. "I hate to pull the parent card so soon but Puar and I have to leave to finish up that job in a half hour or so..."

"It's fine. I'll take care of Kichiro." Tien said. He tried not to let his thoughts from before swell up as Yamcha gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks. You remember everything from last time?" Yamcha said.

"This time I'll write down whatever I sing." Tien said. Yamcha laughed quietly and went to get ready to leave. Tien sat on the couch and stared down at the infant in his arms. "Guess it's just us again tonight."

Another happy melody of garbled babbling. He grinned and let Kichiro continue to attempt to gnaw on his finger. It looked like things would be calmer than last time. He'd need the quiet to reflect on everything. He had a lot to sort through internally and no better time to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

"Here's your payment and thanks again for everything."

"Glad to have you as a client, Mr. Davidson. Keep us in mind if you ever need help with this kind of stuff again." Yamcha said as he gladly accepted the cheque being handed to him. His client laughed and walked off with a wave. Yamcha carefully folded the cheque and put it in his jacket pocket. He looked up at the darkening sky and sighed.

"Do you think the banks are still open?" Puar said.

"Probably not. Besides, we should go home as soon as we can anyways." Yamcha said. He lifted off the ground and Puar followed.

"Worried about Kichiro? Or Tien?" they asked.

"Both, actually. I trust Tien to take care of him but..."

"Yeah, I get it. You're still new to this parenting stuff. Of course you're going to be concerned. It's only been a couple of weeks." Puar said. They floated alongside Yamcha as he started to fly back home. "Speaking of Tien..."

"What about him?" Yamcha said as if there wasn't around a hundred things in his life at that exact moment that were extremely Tien relevant.

"Besides the whole baby thing?" Puar said. They paused for a moment. "... how are things between you guys? I know you're still friends but this... this changes things."

"I know. I'm still figuring it all out." Yamcha sighed. He pulled out his phone and tapped in a quick message about their location. "I'm sure Tien's got his own stuff to deal with. It's not everyday you become a dad out of nowhere."

"That's true but he did have some time to prepare. The visit and the last time he babysat." Puar said. "... that's not all I was talking about."

"What d'you mean?" Yamcha asked. Puar flew in closer.

"I meant your feelings about Tien." they said.

"We're friends, you said that yourself." Yamcha said. He could feel himself getting nervous. The scowl Puar gave him made it clear he wouldn't be able to dodge the question.

"Don't give me that vague bullshit, Yamcha." Puar said. "You know what I'm getting at."

"Well, I, uh..." Yamcha stalled. He knew full well what Puar was asking. The problem was he didn't have an answer. "I.. I don't know, okay? I never thought about him like that before."

"Sure you haven't." Puar said sarcastically. Yamcha's confused expression must have made something click because they proceeded to look shocked. "Wait, really?"

"Uh... yeah?" Yamcha said weakly.

"You've been obvious about having a crush on him for years! Are you telling me you haven't noticed?" Puar exclaimed.

"No!? I mean, I don't - What makes you think that?" Yamcha said. Puar waved their arms around in exasperation.

"Everything!" they squeaked. "Add in a crippling fear of interaction and it's Bulma all over again!"

"C'mon Puar, you can't seriously -"

"Every time we visit him you say "We need to hang out with our friends more" but do we ever have the same kind of visits to Bulma? To Goku? To Krillin?" Puar continued. "Anytime there's a party you always manage to spend the whole night right next to Tien!"

"That's not, I mean, so do friends, I -" Yamcha stammered. He had slowed down steadily as Puar listed things and was now hovering on the spot.

"Every time he holds Kichiro you get this doe eyed look on your face." Puar said. "Anyone who didn't know you guys would say you're already married."

"... is it really like that?" Yamcha said softly.

"Yes!" Puar said with enough force to propel themselves backwards half a foot. "You've spent so long looking for the right person that you didn't notice the one beside you for the last two decades!"

As soon as Puar said it every second of those twenty years rushed through Yamcha's mind. They were right. He'd been so hung up on finding a woman he'd completely missed every hint that Tien was who he needed. All the inside jokes between them. The small smiles that held more emotion than most people could put words to. The relaxed attitude Tien saved for his closest friends. The sense of humor one wouldn't assume he had unless they'd known him for a long time. The times when Yamcha would sit next to Tien on the roof of his house and stargaze in comfortable silence. Every touch, every laugh, every secret and every moment of trust. It all became clear. It was too much to handle. Too much to take in.

Then Yamcha noticed he'd been steadily losing height and was approaching the ground much faster than he wanted to. He quickly flew back up to where he was before and assured a nervously squeaking Puar that he was fine.

"I didn't think it'd be that much of a surprise." Puar said.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before." Yamcha said quietly. Despite his near crash experience he was still feeling sort of numb.

"Neither can I. Now you just need to tell him." Puar said.

"What?! No, I can't do that." Yamcha exclaimed. The thought of actually confessing his newly realized feelings was on a completely different level from recognizing he had them.

"Why not!? According to Shenron he's the "most compatible person" with you, right? I'm sure he feels the same way." Puar said.

"We can't just assume that! Sure, he has the most compatible DNA with mine but that doesn't apply to everything else about him!" Yamcha said defensively. He crossed his arms and looked away. "It's too much to put on him all at once. First he's confirmed to be a dad and then "Oh hey, by the way, I think I've been in love with you for years and still am!" I can't do that to him."

"Even if he doesn't return your feelings they're still there. You're fathers to the same kid so it's not like you can ignore him until your love fades. You have to deal with it." Puar argued.

"I know but... not now." Yamcha murmured. "Not so soon after everything else."

"Fine. Figure out how you're going to be parents. Then you can focus on your feelings. Just don't ignore them." Puar said with a sigh. They floated over to Yamcha and gave him a quick hug. "I don't wanna see you get hurt again."

"Thanks Puar." Yamcha said. He patted their head lightly and smiled. "Now let's go home. With any luck Tien will have a whole songbook done."

With a couple of laughs they continued on their flight. Yamcha spent most of it trying to sort out himself emotionally. He'd deal with any romantic prospects after figuring out how to co-parent Kichiro. It wouldn't be fair to distract from his son this early in his life. He landed and made his way up to his apartment. A short declaration of "We're home" was greeted with silence. He hung up his jacket and made his way into the main room. One look at the couch was all it took to throw his prepared mental state out the window.

At some point during the night both inhabitants of the apartment had fallen asleep. Tien was lying on the couch while holding Kichiro gently on top on his chest. The sight invoked an emotion in Yamcha that he didn't have the words to describe. It was all he could do to hold himself back from walking over there and kissing them both on the forehead. The mental image of doing so both scared and comforted him. He settled for crouching next to the couch and lightly brushing some of Kichiro's hair out of his face. He pulled back as Tien began to stir.

"I see you're having some quality family time together." Yamcha said quietly. Tien woke up enough to register who was talking to him and smiled.

"Indeed we are. If only he'd gone to sleep this early last time." he mumbled sleepily.

"What? No new serenades?" Yamcha teased. Tien gave him an amused look.

"Don't worry. I'm sure there'll be plenty more chances for that later." he said.

"Suppose so. For now let's appreciate the silence." Yamcha said. He reached out and carefully lifted Kichiro off Tien. He held his son close to him and began to walk towards his room. Thankfully Kichiro stayed asleep as Yamcha laid him in his crib. Yamcha looked down at him and smiled. Every moment with Kichiro reminded him why he made his wish. After a few seconds he felt Tien stand next to him. Neither of them said anything. They just watched their son sleep peacefully. After a minute or so they both left the room.

"I take it you'll be borrowing the couch?" Puar asked Tien as they floated over.

"It's too late to fly home so yes. If you'll have me." Tien said.

"Of course we will. You... uh... could just sleep on the bed. With me. If you wanted." Yamcha said while internally regretting the offer already. Why the hell had he said that? There were too many damn feelings running around in his head right now. The little thumbs up Puar gave him as they flew out of the hall wasn't helping.

"If you're okay with it..." Tien said slowly.

"Don't worry. I know how to share." Yamcha said. Gods he felt so awkward. The feeling only got worse once he'd stripped down to a tank top and boxers. He promptly slid under his blankets and looked at the wall. A weight next to him signalled that Tien had taken him up on his offer.

"You're sure...?"

"You're already on the bed. Just try to get some sleep." Yamcha said. A few seconds of silence later Tien shifted as he did as suggested. Yamcha closed his eyes and prayed that he'd drift off soon. Thankfully at least one god seemed to be listening and it wasn't long before he began to dream.


	8. Chapter 8

When Yamcha awoke something felt off. It took a few blurry eyed confused seconds before he realized why. To be fair he hadn't woken up being held in someone else's arms for well over a decade. Sure he was a bit of a sleep cuddler but that excuse wasn't going to fly once Tien woke up. Yamcha attempted to weasel his way out of the bed but a still snoozing Tien mumbled something inaudible and pulled him back in. So now he was very much awake with Tien's arms around him and no way to get out of it without waking him. Maybe he should just pretend to still be asleep. That sounded good.

It seemed he'd chosen wisely as within a minute of doing so he felt Tien begin to stir. After a moment he stiffened. He must have realized their position as well. With any luck he would sort himself out and roll over so Yamcha could get up. It looked like said luck had run out, however, as Tien sighed and relaxed instead.

"What am I going to do with you?" he murmured, almost too quiet to hear. He moved ever so slightly closer and pressed a gentle kiss to Yamcha's forehead. He then released his hold and turned away. Yamcha continued faking sleep, out of shock if nothing else, for a minute or two more. Then he made a show of getting up, yawning, and making his way out the door with all the fatigue a new parent should have.

He made it to the living room couch and sat down. He then proceeded to bury his face in his hands as he curled up into a ball filled with more conflicting emotions than an armadillo on the freeway.

What the hell had than been about? Yamcha knew the obvious answer but didn't dare believe it. There was no way Tien felt the same way he did, right? Then again his own feelings had shown up out of nowhere. It was entirely possible that Tien was dealing with the same ones. Yamcha wasn't about to rush to find out. It had only been a few hours since he'd had his own revelation. There was plenty he wanted to figure out for himself before he even started to consider telling Tien. No one else was around so he stretched out on the couch and started thinking.

He'd already admitted to himself that he had more romantic feelings for Tien than he'd thought. At least he could talk to Puar about that one. Talking about it made it real. Less a fleeting idea in his mind and more an undeniable desire. He wanted romance with Tien. Something he'd never expected but now that he knew it made too much sense. Next on the list of mid life crisis was how Tien felt. Yamcha wished he could chalk up the kiss to just a tired mind acting on instinct but he couldn't. "What am I going to do with you?" The words stuck in Yamcha's head and adamantly refused to leave. They made it clear that Tien had his own things to deal with regarding their relationship. As much as Yamcha wanted to ask about them, get some kind of closure, he knew he couldn't without revealing he'd been awake when they were spoken.

Last but most importantly on his mind was Kichiro. He desperately wanted to get all this romantic stuff over with, happy ending or not, but his son came first. Now that Tien was here it was a matter of planning. Yamcha already knew that while his private eye business made decent money it wasn't exactly consistent and the hours were much too irregular for supporting a child, no matter how good his babysitters were. He'd have to drop it. The decision left a bitter taste in his mouth but he had little choice. Then there was the matter of where Kichiro would live. Yamcha had a nice place but he knew that he didn't want to raise his child in the middle of the downtown area. Kids needed fresh air and room to play. He had neither of those things at his apartment. An idea came to mind and he decided to act on it later.

For the moment he stood up and made his way over to the fridge. He had a family to feed. He smiled despite himself as he rifled through the food. Family. The word was a comfort. Always had been. He'd spent so long telling himself to make it through things for the sake of his future family. Now he had one at last. He suppressed a laugh. He should have known his family would never be "normal". That's just the way his life went. By the time he had the table set and bacon frying his mood had lifted considerably.

"That smells good." Puar said with a tiny yawn as they floated over. Yamcha gave them a quick scratch behind the ears.

"Just wait until you taste it." he said. Puar purred and floated towards the kettle. It didn't take long for everything to be on the table accompanied by three mugs of tea. Tien walked into the room with Kichiro in his arms.

"Good morning sunshine." Yamcha said. "Oh, and Tien too, I guess."

"We're honoured." Tien said as he sat down. Kichiro blinked sleepily and looked around. When he saw Yamcha he smiled and started to burble quietly.

"Yes, it's me, I know, celebration is warranted." Yamcha said. He leaned in to quickly kiss Kichiro's head and held up a finger for the infant to grab. "Want me to take him?"

"It's fine. I can wait a little longer for breakfast." Tien assured him. The meal passed without major incident and Puar volunteered to clean the dishes while Tien and Yamcha talked.

"Do have any idea on what to do about housing?" Tien asked once they'd settled in next to the coffee table. Yamcha rocked Kichiro gently and considered his options. Now seemed like a good time to bring up his idea from earlier that morning.

"I have one but it's kinda... big." he said. Tien looked at him expectantly and he continued. "I don't want to raise Kichiro in the city and my current job isn't exactly well suited to parenting."

"So I've noticed." Tien said.

"Yeah, well I've noticed too. So I thought that maybe... we could move." Yamcha said.

"Where to?" Tien asked.

"Your place, if that's okay. You've got a ton of room and I've got no reason to stay here anymore." Yamcha said with the slightest bit of hesitation. "That way both of us wouldn't have to travel anywhere to see Kichiro and he'd have a great area to grow up in. I know it's asking a lot..."

"Of course you can stay at the dojo." Tien said. "If you're sure about moving then I'd be more than happy to have you there."

"Am I included in that "you"?" Puar shouted over from the sink.

"Yes, you are." Tien called back with a small laugh.

"Really? You're sure?" Yamcha asked.

"I said you and your family would always be welcome in my home. That hasn't changed. We're family now and... it's our home. If you want it to be." Tien said. He had a shy smile and small blush to go along with the offer. Damn if it wasn't the softest look Yamcha had ever seen on his face.

"I'd better clean this place up to sell it then." he said with a smirk.

"Do we need to call in back up for that?" Tien said.

"If you can somehow corral the others into helping I'm not going to object. I wonder what kind of damage those Sayians could do with a broom." Yamcha said. Another laugh from Tien. Kichiro joined in with his own tiny giggles despite not knowing why everyone was mirthful in the first place. Yamcha grinned and felt tempted to join in.

This would work. He'd sort out how he was going to be a father. Then he'd deal with everything else.


	9. Chapter 9

When Tien first formed his own martial arts school the last thing he would have expected was to use the dojo as a home for his family. Yet there he was looking proudly at the nursery he'd helped set up just a few days earlier.

It hadn't taken long for Yamcha and Puar to settle in. They had already been frequent visitors to the dojo and knew the layout perfectly. Kichiro had been a little fussy for the first couple of nights but thankfully he was easy to calm down once you knew he usually just wanted to be held. An unintended bonus from moving to the dojo had been the surplus of willing babysitters. Chiaotzu and Puar aside almost all of Tien's students were up for the task. It seemed Kichiro was already playing favourites with them. As much as they'd settled into a routine of sorts Tien couldn't help but feel a little distracted. If someone asked him he'd attribute it to the stress of being a father or the early classes. He knew better.

He had to constantly remind himself that his relationship with Yamcha wasn't romantic. He kept stopping himself from holding hands with him or giving in to the urge to kiss him. Ever since he'd realized what kind of feelings he was dealing with they'd only gotten worse. They were together as friends. Together to take care of their son. That was all. How Tien wished it was different. He wanted to shout it out sometimes just to get it over with. Make his feelings known. Put them out in the world and see what happened. Then he remembered who he was and who he was dealing with. The urge would fade into a dull ache for a day or so and then return.

He sighed and walked out of the room. He needed some fresh air to clear his head. The roof of the dojo was a familiar spot for such a thing and he found himself heading there without even thinking about it. Once he arrived he sat down and settled in. In the back of his mind he could feel Chiaotzu being curious but not interrupting. Then he was gone. Tien looked up at the stars as he was finally alone for the first time in a while. He could have been up there for hours lost in thought. After maybe one, however, he felt someone approach. Their Ki was familiar and Tien felt his heart speed up. Yamcha. It wasn't long before his old friend sat next to him on the roof.

"Thought I'd find you here." Yamcha said. "I've joined you enough times to know this is where you come to think about stuff."

"You know me well." Tien said. Yamcha smiled.

"I have to at this point." he said. A short silence followed as they both watched the stars. Neither wanted to speak up first.

"You came here to talk about something." Tien said quietly. He didn't need to ask. The fact that Yamcha had spoke at all when he arrived was proof enough.

"... I did." Yamcha said.

"... is it bad?" Tien said.

"Maybe." Yamcha said. He shifted his gaze to the ground. "It, uh, really depends on you."

"... alright. What is it?" Tien said. Yamcha being vague was new. It didn't feel good. He was usually honest and easy to read. Now he refused to meet Tien's gaze and fidgeted nervously.

"... a week or so ago I was talking with Puar and I realized something." he said. "Something about you and me. Our relationship."

"... are we not friends?" Tien said.

"What? Of course we're still friends." Yamcha exclaimed. "I just..."

"You just what?" Tien asked. He was starting to get nervous himself.

"I think we should be more!" Yamcha blurted out quickly. He continued on an anxious rant before Tien could react.

"More than just friends. I hadn't seen it before but now... I want more with you, Tien, I... I fell in love with you. I've been doing it for twenty years. I can't just say nothing anymore. I know it's sudden and I know you've got your own feelings but I had to say something. Gods, I'm so sorry."

More silence. Then laughter. Tien couldn't help it. After all his worries... this? It was too much. He was aware that Yamcha was glaring at him and Tien wanted to tell him so badly that he didn't mean to make him feel hurt, never wanted to make him feel that way, but the irony of the situation had him in stitches. In the time it took him to calm down he got enough dirty looks from Yamcha to make a janitor faint.

"I don't think it's very funny." Yamcha mumbled. He looked about ready to fly off right then and there. The moonlight barely hid how red his face was.

"No, it's not that, I just..." Tien said as he tried to recover. He reached out and placed a hand on top of Yamchas'. "I'm sorry I scared you there but you took the words right out of my mouth."

"I... what? You mean, you...?" Yamcha said slowly. His expression shifted from hurt to hopeful. Tien finally stopped laughing and smiled wider than he ever had before. He had so much to say and it all wanted to happen at once.

"Look at us. Two old fools in love." he said. Yamcha matched his smile and leaned closer.

"Damn right we are." he said. Every part of Tien was telling him this was the moment he should kiss Yamcha. While he lacked the experience to do so Yamcha did not and it was evident he had the same idea. Within seconds their lips found each other. Everything finally clicked. This was what they wanted.

"I think I know of a few bets we just validated." Tien said once they parted.

"You could take a few lessons from your students on perception." Yamcha said.

"You're one to talk." Tien said.

"I know, I know, we're both stupid." Yamcha said with a small laugh. "I gotta say I'm really glad this is how tonight went. I thought you'd hate me or something."

"You are impossible to hate, trust me." Tien said. "But I know what you mean. I was too scared to say anything for myself."

"So, we're both old fools and stupid. Glad that's settled." Yamcha said. "I almost can't believe this is real."

"Kiss me again to make sure?" Tien suggested. Yamcha put his arms around his neck and smiled.

"As many time as it takes."

Somewhere inside the dojo Chiaotzu smirked proudly as he informed Puar that he'd won their bet.


	10. Chapter 10

The Ten style dojo sat in between two distant mountains next to a small village. The forests nearby were full of life and all kinds of interesting things. Things discovered mostly by a young and very enthusiastic boy with an eye to spare when searching for treasures, around the age of seven, named Kichiro.

On this particular day he'd come across a particularly special rock sitting in a creekbed. It had to be a gemstone of some kind. Any experienced appraiser would recognize the value held within the pebble. For Kichiro, however, he liked it because it had his favourite colors in it. Being careful to not muddy his gi too much he lifted it out of the water and held it up to the sunlight. Green and orange flashed as the rays hit it. Kichiro grinned and wiped off the stone on his obi. Clutching the rock tightly in a fist that barely covered it he began to walk towards home. After a few seconds he broke into a run. With an immense amount of concentration his feet cleared the ground and he giggled happily as he flew above the trees, albeit a tad wobbly in doing so. It didn't take long for him to backtrack all the way home.

He touched down outside the main doors of the dojo and headed inside. He waved to a few of the nice men who were students there. He knew quite a number of them from when they'd babysat him. Then Kichiro remembered to head back to the front gate and take of his shoes. After doing so he continued his journey. On his second walk down the hall he noticed someone particularly special headed his way.

"Uncle Chiaotzu!"

"Hey Kichiro! Did you have a fun time exploring?" Chiaotzu asked. The boy nodded and held up his find.

"I got this! It's really pretty." he said. Chiaotzu floated closer for a look.

"It is really pretty. Great job, Kichiro. Are you gonna show your dads?" he said. Another nod in response. "Better get going then. They just finished a class."

"Thanks uncle Chiaotzu!" Kichiro said as he started walking again. He was happy he'd run into uncle Chiaotzu. He was super nice and always wanted to see what Kichiro found. He knew most uncles were a fathers brother but that wasn't always the case. After all, Trunks called Kichiros' dad "Uncle Yamcha" but as far as Kichiro knew neither of his parents were related to anyone in Trunks' family.

"Any good finds today, Kichiro?"

The boy looked towards the source of the squeaky voice and smiled wider.

"Puar! Look what I have!" he said. He held out the stone for inspection.

"That's amazing!" Puar said.

"Uh huh. I'm gonna show daddy and papa." Kichiro explained. With a small wave towards Puar he hurried off again. Puar wasn't an aunt or an uncle but they were still an important person, like Chiaotzu. If both uncle Chiaotzu and Puar had agreed the rock was pretty then Kichiro knew for sure his parents would love it. As soon as one of them came into sight Kichiro launched himself at them.

"Woah there kiddo! You must have found something pretty cool this time." Yamcha said with a laugh as he caught his son in a hug. Kichiro pulled back and held up the gemstone.

"Yeah! Lookit this!" he said with glee.

"Wow! That's one helluva rock." Yamcha said. "You were really lucky today."

"Yup. It's a special rock." Kichiro said. He looked at it proudly. "Super special."

"I'm sure it is." Yamcha said as he set Kichiro down.

"I wanna show Papa too." Kichiro said. Yamcha took one of his hands with a smile.

"Of course. Let's go find him." he said. Kichiro led the way and it wasn't too long before they located who they were looking for.

"Papa! Look what I found today!" Kichiro exclaimed. Tien knelt down and looked at the stone.

"It's very nice, Kichiro." he said. "Where did you find it?"

"In the creek by the caves." Kichiro said. Tien stood up with a slight scowl.

"The caves we've told you not to go near? The ones with the bears?" he said. Kichiro suddenly felt the need to hide his discovery and look away. "You know it's dangerous up there, especially alone."

"But I had to! The rest of the creek has boring rocks." Kichiro reasoned with a pout. Tien sighed and might have started a lecture had a look from Yamcha not stopped him.

"I know it's a pretty rock..." Tien said.

"A super special rock." Yamcha pointed out.

"A super special rock." Tien continued. "Even so we don't want you risking your life for... pebbles. Promise me you won't go there again unless we say you can?"

"Okay." Kichiro agreed glumly. Tien mussed up his hair lightly and earned a giggle.

"That's my boy." he said. "Why did you need a rock like that anyways?"

" 'cause you're supposed to give pretty rocks to people you love." Kichiro said.

"Is it for us?" Yamcha asked. Kichiro shook his head.

"Nope. It's for Hon." he said.

"Hon Lu? From the junior class?" Tien asked. Kichiro nodded.

"He's super nice and brings really good snacks an' always agrees to spar with me even tho the others are scared 'cause I'm the teachers kid." he reasoned. "So, I love him and I'm gonna give him a pretty rock."

"Giving people you love pretty rocks? Where did you hear that?" Yamcha said.

"From Papa!" Kichiro said. He pointed to add emphasis. "He's gonna get one for you. It's smaller than mine, though, and he spent weeks searching."

Kichiro couldn't fathom why his Papa's face turned bright red. His Daddy had let go of his hand too. He huffed and looked up at his obviously ignorant parents. Weren't they impressed? He'd found his rock in only one day. His frustration grew as it appeared his fathers were continuing to ignore him and his achievement.

"I.. uh.. well I mean we haven't... it's been seven years... and I know it's your dream..." Tien fumbled to complete a sentence. He didn't have too as Yamcha quickly enveloped him in a tight hug. Kichiro wondered if he should just walk away. His papa was still talking nonsense and his daddy... was crying?

"Daddy? What's wrong?" Kichiro asked. He ran up to his parents and tugged on the edge of Yamcha's shirt. "Why are you crying?"

"Nothing's wrong Kichiro. Everything's fine, more than fine." Yamcha assured him. "They're happy tears."

"Papa doesn't even have his rock yet. You can't be that happy." Kichiro said.

"It's what the rock means more than the rock itself." Yamcha said. He picked up Kichiro and added him to the hug. "Remember when Auntie Launch got married?"

"Uh huh." Kichiro said. He did. It was like a big party but with a lot of sitting down and talking before you got to eat. It was boring at first and then fun at the end. "She promised to love Auntie Yurin forever and ever."

"She did. Before that Auntie Launch gave her a rock like the one your papa is getting for me. It's a promise too."

"It is?" Kichiro said.

"Yeah. It means you promise to get married someday." Yamcha said. Kichiro thought it over.

"So you and papa are gonna get married?" he concluded.

"We are. Even if I don't have my rock yet." Tien said.

"Do I haveta sit through more speeches?" Kichiro asked. Both his parents laughed.

"We'll try to make them short, okay?" Yamcha said.

"Okay." Kichiro said. He wiggled out of his dads arms and started down the hall. "I'm gonna go give my rock to Hon."

"Alright. You do that." Yamcha called after him. Kichiro smiled as he caught the sight of his parents kissing. The other kids said kissing was gross. Kichiro didn't know why. Kisses were for love and love wasn't gross. He wondered if Hon thought kissing was gross.

He'd have to ask him after he gave him his rock.


End file.
